Answers to Questions

DISABILITY SERVICES

In reply to the Hon. R.D. LAWSON (21 June 2007).

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs): The Minister for Disability has advised that:

The State Government's priority in disability services is to increase the supply of supported accommodation and respite services. The updated South Australian Strategic Plan has a new target to double the number of people with disabilities appropriately housed and supported in community based accommodation by 2014.

The Minister for Disability made the difficult decision to redirect funding from advocacy and information to direct services for people with a disability and their families. The $750,000 in savings from these programs is being reinvested directly into supported accommodation and respite. These budget measures are in no way a reflection of the value of the services provided by each of those organisations.

The State Government has been funding 13 agencies to provide information and advocacy services to South Australians and the decision was made that in a climate of increasing demand for supported accommodation and respite services, this level of support was no longer feasible.

Nevertheless, the services were briefed on the day of the budget announcement, and were given a minimum of three months notice of the decision coming into effect. The budget process does not allow disclosure of budget details.

It is important to note that the Federal Government has similar concerns about advocacy services and has put in place the National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) with the aim of improving advocacy services, performance reporting, access and geographic coverage. The State Government will be working with the commonwealth to ensure that South Australians have access to disability advocacy services.

It is important to note that Disability SA also spends more than $1 million on disability information services within the Department for Families and Communities, and that the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner also looks at complaints from people using disability services.

The State Government announced in June that waiting lists for equipment for children and adults with disabilities would be cleared through a one-off funding injection of $5.7 million.

This will help more than 1,000 people who've been waiting for equipment like new wheelchairs and walking frames, which includes children and adults with brain injury.

There is also an extra investment of $45.76 million investment in the Budget over the next four years into disability, taking total annual state spending on disability to $201.2 million, up from $118 million in 2001-02.

An important part of the Budget is an extra 1 per cent in indexation from the State Government to the non-government sector, specifically for wage increases for staff in disability services to help recruit and retain staff. This is in addition to ordinary indexation.

The Budget provides funding for 883 people living in group homes in the community and care for 1,500 people so they can continue to live in their own homes in the community.

There is also considerable spending in other parts of government on disability specific services, such as education, health, recreation and sport and more than $11.3 million in transport for the South Australian Transport Subsidy Scheme (SATSS), as well as $1.06 million in spending on Access Cabs.